Hilary Clinton doe s indeed have experience but very little of it has to do with serving the community, bringing people together, listening,shaping policy, managing her campaign staff, or trying to maintain a successful marriage. A lot of men, women, children, and minorities who have not snapped to attention and jumped on her bandwagon have been hurt by her bimbo squad (for tellng the truth), gone to jail (for doing her dirtywork), stepped on/victimized/exploited (for being poor), and have never received a single thing but her shaking finger in the tv screen telling us how strong she is and how much she likes to fight. No one wants to sign up for 4 years of that.
When Hope Trumped Experience
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Those who cannot make a substantive case against Barack Obama for president charge him with being naive. Anyone who believes that a former state legislator who became a senator from Illinois is naive knows nothing of the rough-and-tumble politics of that state. Obama is no political neophyte. After only a few years in the Senate, he is known for being able to work effectively with members from both sides of the aisle. He's a skilled politician with character, integrity and vision, a phenomenon in U.S. politics.
Geraldine Beckford
New York, N.Y.
Commitment to Marriage?
Bonnie Eslinger tells us she does not need "a piece of paper from the state" to strengthen her commitment to her partner ("Yes to Love, No to Marriage," My Turn, Jan. 14). That piece of paper, however, represents one of society's rituals that hold us together. Do we need a piece of paper that says we have been educated before it's true? Do we require a document from the state to prove we're alive? It's not the paper, it's the ritualistic and accepted process it makes tangible and legal. Is Jeff just some guy Bonnie is living with, or is he someone she is committed to and whose children will have the legal stature afforded to those of a marriage—insurance, citizenship, inheritance?
John Gholdston
Cedar City, Utah
I read Bonnie Eslinger's essay with the smile of someone older and wiser. My first marriage lasted 32 years, and then I lived with someone for six years. I too experienced "intense, affirming love." But when he died, the consequences of shacking up hit home hard. No matter what conventional wisdom says these days, the reality is that most family and friends are uncomfortable with this kind of prolonged uncommitted relationship. I married again four years ago. The comfort, security and honorable, lasting love that can grow out of marriage cannot be compared with the uncertain outcome of an uncommitted love. Eslinger should accept Jeff's proposal while the offer is still good.
Susan Thompson
Bakersfield, Calif.
As wife to a partner with whom I lived for six years prior to marriage, I appreciate Bonnie Eslinger's belief that a marriage license is not a requirement for true love and intimacy. However, Eslinger overlooks the legal rights and protections marriage offers, such as ensuring government benefits like Social Security and the right to make medical decisions if the other partner is incapacitated. And while I support marriage rights for homosexuals, this should not impede heterosexual couples from allowing themselves the securities and safeguards that marriage provides.
Ayne Ray
Austin, Texas
Measuring How Smart a Child Is
I read your article on parents' obsession in pushing their children to be "gifted" with a combination of bemusement and sadness ("They're No Baby Einsteins," Jan. 14). I was home-schooled in rural Maine and spent the first 10 years of my life running around in fields and playing with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures. What sort of underachieving life has my intellectually deprived upbringing given me? Well, by middle school I had started to get more serious about academics, and I am now a senior at MIT. Parents should calm down and tell their young kids to go play.
Jamie B. Edwards
Cambridge, Mass.
Possible Perils of Baby Bottles
As a nurse who educates expectant and new parents, I feel that the concern over BPA, a chemical found in many plastic baby bottles, is legitimate, especially when parents are microwaving these bottles to warm baby's milk ("The Baby Bottle Blues," Jan. 14). Whether the chemical leaches out in amounts that are harmful to an infant seems debatable, but why take the chance? While it's great that consumers have driven the market to produce alternatives, such as glass and BPA-free bottles, why not mention an even safer, more ecofriendly option than expensive bottles—namely, breast-feeding. This is a great option for parents who will accept nothing but the very best for their baby.
Molly Veltz, R.N., B.S.N.
St. Louis, Mo.
Discuss